Last week we presented the story of Commander Alexander Grant – a British Naval officer serving on the Great Lakes – who moved to Grosse Pointe around 1774. He became the earliest prominent settler and constructed the area's first large permanent residence – “Grants Castle”.

As part of the post, we mentioned two historical figures, Geroge Lothrop and Theadore Hall. Lothrop built a summer cottage, known as “Summerside” on part of the land owned by Alexander Grant, while Theadore Hall purchased “Grants Castle” around 1875, razed it and set about building his own majestic estate, Tonnancour. So, this week we are going to delve deeper into the lives of these two significant men who played a large part in shaping Grosse Pointe into the community we know…

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Last week we featured a prominent, yet unsung builder in Detroit by the name of Emil Schultz. During a career that spanned four decades Schultz built some fine homes in Grosse Pointe in conjunction with noted architects. This included his own home - 719 Berkshire.

This week we travel back to 1776, a very important time in the history of our nation. This historic milestone is something everyone in the country is proud of. So, what was happening in Grosse Pointe at this time?

According to the Detroit Historical Society, “in 1776, Detroit was a fortified, British-controlled fur-trading outpost. While the Thirteen Colonies declared independence, Detroit remained under British rule and served as a strategic base for British forces and their…

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